The cosmopolitan identity of land-port and sea-port cities of the Islamic world highlights the impact of political changes, trade, and exchange in their evolution. These unique conditions create an amalgamation of local cultural expressions and external influences enriching the urban and architectural character of these cities. Residential, civic, and religious architectural examples of cross-road cities stand as witnesses of the sociocultural changes in both 'high' and 'peripheral' Islamic contexts.
The focus of this presentation is case studies on Stone Town, Zanzibar, and Muscat, Oman.
ArCHIAM. “Lecture 14: Ports and Centers of Exchange Part 1 (narrated version)” Part of the presentation series developed for the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Education Programme, 2021.
Aga Khan Trust for Culture Education Programme and the Centre for the Study of Architecture and Cultural Heritage of India, Arabia, and Maghreb (University of Liverpool)